Poetry

The Asian film festival continues. Last night I saw "The Island Of Rebirth", a Kazakh film, by Rustam Abdrashev. A mix of Russian and Iranian filmic sensibilities, it was pure poetry.

Sand, sepia, and splashes of color. The sea, once alive with fish, now dead, all salt. Dog fights, boys fighting, boyish pranks, love. Poetry, communism, betrayal. It's all there, and more. If you get a chance, go see this film!

On the way there, it was a cool autumn evening. I got a quick slice, and discovered a new "locale": bookstore, bar, lounge. Where? Right next to an old church for booksellers: Santa Barbara dei Librai, sandwiched between residential buildings. Click here for a view (it's the church on the left). The photo doesn't quite capture the appeal of this little piazza, but there you go.

After the film, the streets and stones were wet from rain. But it had stopped, and the night was a little less cool.